Part of KTM railway land to be reopened

The public can access 1.4km stretch in Bukit Timah from Sept 16
Grace Chua Straits Times 3 Sep 11;

THOSE who flocked to Bukit Timah railway station in the wake of the closure of the Tanjong Pagar station can do so again from Sept 16.

A 1.4km stretch in Bukit Timah of the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway land is the first section to have rail-removal works completed and will be reopened to the public.

But the tracks and equipment at the Bukit Timah railway station and the black steel bridge across Bukit Timah Road have been retained.

The 26km tract from Woodlands to Tanjong Pagar reverted to Singapore in July, and as agreed with Malaysia, most tracks and other structures are being removed and returned by Dec 31. The stretch is also being turfed over.

About 30 per cent of the work is done and sections of the strip of land will be opened to the public as and when they are ready.

The tracks and equipment in Tanjong Pagar railway station will also be retained, along with steel bridges and tracks across Bukit Timah Road, Hindhede Road and Upper Bukit Timah.

In all, about 400m of tracks will be kept.

Early yesterday morning , as hornbills cawed overhead, Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K. Shanmugam walked the tracks near King Albert Park with Minister of State for Manpower and National Development Tan Chuan-Jin.

Accompanying them were officers from various government agencies as well as Nature Society (Singapore) and Singapore Heritage Society members and members of the Green Corridor railway-land interest group.

Said Mr Shanmugam: 'A lot of people have asked us, why can't we preserve the tracks? I understand that but it's not possible because under the treaty, these belong to Malaysia and we have to give (them) back to them.'

The Law Ministry oversees the Singapore Land Authority which is carrying out the removal works.

Mr Shanmugam reassured the public that no trees will be felled and as little vegetation cleared as possible in the process.

Long-term plans for the area are being studied by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and people are invited to submit ideas at www.ura.gov.sg/railcorridor

So far, members of interest groups such as Nature Society (Singapore) and Singapore Heritage Society have met regularly with the authorities to discuss ideas.

Already, the National Parks Board, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nature Society (Singapore) are doing a survey of the plants, birds and animals along the 26km stretch.

Next month, an exhibition about the railway's natural and social history will be held at URA Centre in Maxwell Road.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Heritage Society and NUS are documenting how the railway - beyond its stations and tracks - was significant to the country's history.

For example, several Hindu temples such as Sri Muneeswaran Temple in Tanglin Halt were started by railway labourers.

'We want to move beyond the obvious, the safeguarded buildings, to uncharted territories,' said Mr Ho Weng Hin, 37, a Singapore Heritage Society committee member and an architect by training.

Train services to Malaysia now operate from Woodlands Train Checkpoint. Tanjong Pagar station has been gazetted as a national monument while Bukit Timah station is a conserved building.

Part of Jurong Line in master plan
Esther Ng Today Online 3 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE - It might not be as well known as the main line but a 2.5km stretch of the old Jurong Line - which passes through the steel bridge over Ulu Pandan Canal - will be included in the conceptual master planning of the rail corridor, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has told Today.

The URA explained that parts of the Jurong Line have been committed to, or are undergoing development work. For instance, the installation of new roads at the International Business Park and the Faber residential estate will improve traffic and "facilitate future developments", said a URA spokesperson.

"The former Jurong Line is not part of the main line from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands and has been abandoned for many years. In some places, the rail line has been turfed over or is in a severe state of disrepair," the spokesperson added.

The particular 2.5km stretch of the Jurong Line is rich in biodiversity - the Nature Society (Singapore) (NSS) has found the critically endangered Asian drongo-cuckoo, the endangered straw-headed bulbul and the changeable hawk eagle there.

Faber Heights resident Wang Bin told Today he had spotted the critically-endangered grey-headed fish eagle in the area near the International Business Park.

NSS vice-president Leong Kwok Peng said the stretch "gives a different feel to an industrial area".

Nature lovers and the NSS have been lobbying for the entire 26km main line and 14km out of 20km of the old Jurong Line to be kept intact as one continuous green corridor. ESTHER NG

Old Bukit Timah Railway Station to be opened to public
Esther Ng Today Online 3 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE - Allaying concerns that the removal of the KTM railway tracks would damage the flora and fauna, Law Minister K Shanmugam yesterday invited nature groups and the media to view a stretch of the tracks and the old Bukit Timah Railway Station, which will be opened to the public on Sept 16.

Mr Shanmugam said: "I've been assured, in this area, that none of the trees have been taken down. (There is) very little damage to the vegetation ... I think people can see for themselves."

The 1.4km stretch to be re-opened starts southwards from the steel bridge along Bukit Timah Road and runs past the old station, which will be conserved.

Nature Society (Singapore) conservation committee chairman Ho Hua Chew told Today that he was satisfied with the minimal damage to the environment along the old rail line.

He said: "When a stream in Clementi Woodlands was clogged up by a road created for dismantling works by a contractor, the National Parks Board (NParks) worked with the Singapore Land Authority and got a culvert installed and the stream is flowing again."

Mr Ho said that NParks also discusses with NSS whenever it needs to cut dead or "withering" trees along the tracks.

Singapore Heritage Society's rail corridor committee member Ho Weng Hin said the old station's condition looked "sound" and hoped that cameras will be installed to prevent vandalism.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Foreign Minister, noted that there have been a few calls from the public to preserve the entire railway track.

But he explained that this was not possible as most of the tracks have to be returned to Malaysia by the end of the year under the terms of the treaty which Singapore had signed with Malaysia.

In total, some 400m of the tracks - those next to the platforms of Bukit Timah and Tanjong Pagar railway stations, and those on the steel bridges at Dunearn Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road - will be retained.

So far, about 30 per cent of the tracks have been removed, Mr Shanmugam said.

Other parts of the railway land will be progressively opened to the public, said Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin, who was also present at the visit yesterday.

Bukit Timah Railway Station open to public from Sept 16
Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 2 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE: The old Bukit Timah Railway Station and surrounding railway land will be open to the public in two weeks.

Announcing this on Friday, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said the station and railway land extending 1.4km southwards from the steel bridge along Bukit Timah Road will be open from September 16.

The SLA said other portions of the railway land will also be progressively open after removal works are completed.

Providing an update on the removal works Friday morning, Law Minister K Shanmugam said that about 30 per cent of the tracks have been dismantled.

Under the Points of Agreement with Malaysia, Singapore has to remove the tracks and ancillary structures of the KTM Railway by the end of this year.

Once the tracks are removed, the gravel is flattened and will be covered by grass.

"A lot of people have asked us why can't we preserve the railway tracks. I can understand that but it's not possible simply because under the treaty, all of this belongs to Malaysia and we have to give it back to them. There are small parts, where we are preserving some, with agreement," said Mr Shanmugam.

Mr Shanmugam also reassured nature lovers that there was minimal clearance of vegetation and no trees were felled in that area.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority is studying the possibility of marrying development with greenery for the railway land by maintaining a continuous green link along the rail corridor without affecting the development potential.

- CNA/cc

Bukit Timah Railway Station opens to public from Sept 16
Uma Shankari Business Times 3 Sep 11;

THE old Bukit Timah Railway Station and surrounding railway land will be open to the public from Sept 16, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said yesterday.

Members of the public will be able to enjoy walks along this stretch of the rail corridor. Other portions of the former railway land will also be progressively opened up to the public as the railway tracks are removed.

Law Minister K Shanmugam, who provided an update on the removal works yesterday morning, said that about 30 per cent of the tracks have been dismantled.

Under the agreement with Malaysia, Singapore has to remove the tracks and ancillary structures of the KTM Railway by the end of this year.

'A lot of people have asked us why can't we preserve the railway tracks. I can understand that but it's not possible simply because under the treaty, all of this belongs to Malaysia and we have to give it back to them,' said Mr Shanmugam. But he added that there are small parts of the tracks that are being preserved.

Mr Shanmugam also reassured nature lovers that there was minimal clearance of vegetation and no trees were felled during the dismantlement process.

The longer term plans for Bukit Timah Railway Station will be part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) comprehensive review of development plans for all former railway land and the surrounding areas.

URA will study the possibility of marrying development and greenery, and consider maintaining a continuous green link along the rail corridor - without affecting the development potential of the lands.

Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin said that URA will conduct a competition next year to get ideas for a masterplan for redeveloping the entire railway corridor.